Congress moves privilege motion against Minister

The opposition Congress on Friday filed a breach of privilege notice against Odisha Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukh for making false statements in the assembly.

The Congress members alleged that the minister has made false statements in the house about police firing on anti-liquor protesters at Namtara village in Kendrapara district and the chief minister’s visit to New Delhi.

Congress legislator Debendra Sharma, who moved the privilege motion against the minister, told reporters that while at least six persons were injured in the police firing, the minister gave a statement in the house on March 11 that police had resorted to blank firing to disperse the crowd of anti-liquor campaigners and no one was severely injured.

Sharma said the injured persons have been admitted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack.

In the privilege motion, the opposition also brought another allegation against Bikram Keshari Arukh for giving misleading information about Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s visit to New Delhi.

They alleged that while Arukh informed the house that Patnaik had gone to New Delhi on an official visit, there was no such mention in the chief minister’s official itinerary. (IANS)